1. Field of the Invention
The invention is in the field of electrical load controllers.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Electrical utility bills are calculated from the total amount of kilowatt hours used plus an additional kilowatt peak demand measured over a set time period. A high peak use during just one measured time period will generally cause a large increase in the total electricity bill. These demand charges can account for more than half of the entire electrical bill.
Attempts have been made in the past to devise and market automated systems for limiting peak demands of electrical loads. These systems have generally involved the use of large control boxes including three separate counter and comparator circuits for each significant digit of actual electrical loading and desired load settings. The control schemes have usually included dtl/ttl logic, generating considerable power and heat, adding to the size requirements for the control boxes. Large backup battery supplies have been necessary for emergency powering of the dtl/ttl logics previously employed.